According to this article at Space.com, scientists have evidence of a prediction based on Einstein’s general theory of relativity. This prediction was developed in 1918 and called “frame dragging”. To confirm the prediction the researches bounce lasers of two satellites LAGEOS and LAGEOS 2. Pretty nifty eh?
From Hazelware, an interesting look at how to visualize very big numbers The MegaPenny Project
This article from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health, mentions a potential environmental issue I’ve never heard before — high levels of triclocarban in public waters.
”It’s somewhat unsettling that we’ve been using this persistent disinfectant for almost half a century at rates approaching 1 million pounds per year and still have essentially no idea of what exactly happens to the compound after we flush it down the drain. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of triclocarban on aquatic life and potential pathways of unwanted human exposure,” said Dr. Halden.
So what are the options for soap? Lisa has convinced me that just “plain soap” isn’t sufficient if you are dealing with raw meat. Maybe we should use it in moderation… hmm.
I found the article over at Science Blog:
Science Blog - Waterways polluted with anti-bacterial handsoap toxin
I ran across this blurb about Austrian and US Scientists “teleporting” atoms. Unlike the Star Trek transporter, this technique duplicates quantum state, rather than the matter->energy->matter conversion described in the show. In any result, it is pretty darn cool.
This story on Yahoo, from Space.com is pretty exciting to me. I find the Mars Rovers’ adventures quite exciting and love to look at the pictures the jpl team are getting back from them. 2009 is a long time to wait for the next big mission, though. I guess I need to remember what I tell Morgan: have patience.
I don’t think the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is going to have as much eye-candy appeal to the general public.
From a programming standpoint, the automation discussed in the article is interesting. Sounds like some AI techniques will have to be applied. From what I have read of the auto-navigation capabilities of Spirit and Opportunity, they have made some good first steps.
